Rabat – Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita has called on the European Union to take actions and clarify on how it is intending to safeguard the EU-Morocco partnership agreements.
Bourita made his remarks today during a press conference in Rabat with the European Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy, Oliver Varhelyi.
The visit marks Varhelyi’s final trip in his current role.
During the briefing, the EU commissioner commented on the importance of Morocco as a reliable partner to the EU.
The EU official called for finding a common solution, asserting his commitment to working with the North African country to tackle the issue.
“Morocco has been recognized in Europe as a pillar of stability, a pillar of prosperity, and increasingly over these five years, we have seen Morocco also become a reliable, always available, and serious partner in the region’s security,” he said, adding that the partnership is not only positive but also indispensable.
Recently, EU-Morocco partnership agreements related to fisheries and agriculture have been targeted by pro-Polisario maneuvers.
One of the latest maneuvers is the European Court of Justice’s biased ruling, accusing the EU Commission of violating the “right to self-determination” for the “population of Western Sahara.”
In the press conference today, Bourita said “Morocco is waiting for the European Union to clarify how it intends to address the provocations and legal and economic pressures that Morocco is currently facing.”
The minister said the country is expecting the EU to propose “meaningful suggestions and solutions that reflect its commitment to this partnership.”
The court’s controversial verdict was met with a campaign supporting the EU-Morocco Partnership agreements. Many EU countries issued several statements to express support for the agreements, including those relating to agriculture and fisheries cooperation.
The EU bodies also backed the partnership with Morocco and called for maintaining strong bilateral cooperation.
“If anyone believes that a ruling by the Court of Justice is going to call into question the stability of Morocco’s relationship with Spain or with the European Union, they are mistaken,” Spanish Minister of Agriculture Luis Planas told reporters in October.
The EU has also expressed determination to maintain the partnership with Morocco.
In response to the court’s hostile verdict, Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said that the country does not consider the ECJ’s ruling as relevant or important for its agricultural or fisheries agreements with the EU.
“Morocco is not a party to this case, which involves the European Union on one side and the ‘Polisario’ supported by Algeria on the other. Morocco did not participate in any phase of this procedure and, therefore, does not consider itself concerned by the decision,” the ministry stated.
The court’s ruling contains legal errors and suspicious mistakes, the ministry argued, noting that this indicates a “complete misunderstanding of the realities of the case, if not a blatant political bias.”
